Victoria C. Beauty

Monday, June 30, 2014

Hi guys! I just got my Coastal Scents 2 palette a few days ago, and I wanted to share my review on it.

This is my first-ever Coastal Scents purchase, and I have to say, the texture of these eyeshadows is pretty good! Most of them are pretty smooth and pigmented--others are a bit powdery, but none of the colors in this palette are chalky at all. In general, the darker colors are a bit more powdery, but to be honest, I prefer them that way, because that means it would be easier to tap excess powder off my brush, so I don't apply too much. However, I am really impressed with the quality of the light and medium matte colors; they're super smooth and don't need very much building up.

I don't have the original Revealed palette, but that has been pretty much accepted as an Urban Decay Naked and Naked 2 palette dupe. I have heard a lot of people speculate that the Revealed 2 palette would be a dupe of the Naked 3 palette, so I decided to see how many colors in the Revealed 2 palette would be comparable:

I was so surprised that every color in the Naked 3 palette has a really close match in the Revealed 2 palette. The textures of the eyeshadows are very comparable too! As a whole, I think the Revealed 2 palette is definitely a good, more affordable option that has even more colors (that gorgeous burgundy!), so you might even find the Revealed 2 palette more versatile! I hope you found this review helpful, and have a great day!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Hi guys! I'm so excited to give you this review on the new Lorac Pro Palette 2! This launched online at ULTA a couple of weeks ago, and tomorrow it will be in stores! I'm not going to lie, this is an awesome palette, and in this post I'm going to show you swatches and comparisons to other palettes.

The pigmentation of these colors is what a lot of us have come to expect from Lorac--it's super soft and pigmented, and the colors all come off with a lot of impact.

If you already have the original Lorac Pro Palette, I don't think you necessarily need to use these palettes in conjunction with one another, because I feel like they both have the elements of what I consider to be a "complete palette"--a good range of light, medium, and dark colors, as well as an even mix between matte and shimmer finishes. The way I would differentiate them (according my own makeup habits) is, the Lorac Pro Palette (1) has your super basic colors (a ton of browns, matte highlight colors, and a few variations of gold) and the Lorac Pro Palette 2 is more adventurous. There are some colors that I feel like are pretty unique, like Nectar (matte peach-pink), Mocha (medium warm shimmery brown) and Rose (light rose gold). I also feel like I rarely see Jade (dark shimmery olive) in a palette.

When I was swatching these colors, I felt like the inclusion of the jewel tone colors were very reminiscent of the Urban Decay Smoked Palette. Here are some swatches side-by-side:

I know none of these are exact dupes, but I just wanted to show them to you side by side so you can judge how similar or different you think they are!

So overall, I absolutely love the Lorac Pro Palette 2! I think it's really a matter of whether you like these individual colors, because they're not just your basic browns. I hope you found this review helpful, and have a great day!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

I’m so excited to bring you this review on new Makeup Geek blushes! They just launched on June 15th, and they come in compacts or as pans that you can fit into an empty palette. I got them in compacts, and I got three colors, which are Romance, Spellbound, and Head Over Heels. There are 13 colors, and they all have really cute love-themed names. I didn’t really choose different types of finishes and colors on purpose, I just got the ones that I was drawn to the most. Makeup Geek actually posted a video showing all the colors, and I will say, the swatches in that video look pretty washed out, so I would just go onto her website, and they have swatches of every product, and those swatches are a lot more accurate.

Pretty packaging!

Left to right: Romance, Spellbound, Head Over Heels

So if you’ve tried the Makeup Geek eyeshadows, you know that those are really smooth and pigmented, they’re also talc-free. In general, I think they’re good, but depending on the brush that I use, I feel like they can get a little bit powdery. Also, I feel like not every color comes off very true to pan, like Cocoa Bear, it’s a really warm brown in the pan, but after I blend it out it can look a bit orange to me. Nevertheless, the pigmentation is great and they blend fairly well. So I kind of kept these things in mind when I started trying the blushes. And I will say, depending on the brush, these can kick up a little bit of powder as well, but it’s not much at all. I am just amazed at how well these apply--they’re so pigmented, but they’re not hard to blend in the slightest, and I never feel like I have to be too careful about applying too much. They also never look powdery, and, in general, they have awesome staying power. So now I’m going to go through the individual colors, because there are definitely some slight variances between their formulas.

Left to right: Romance, Spellbound, Head Over Heels

Romance (peach pink with golden shimmer)

This is a really gorgeous color--it’s quite similar to MAC eyeshadow in Expensive Pink (Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Cosmopolitan is a dupe), or NARS Orgasm; however, it applies so much smoother than NARS Orgasm, and the shimmer is a lot more finely milled. I don’t think the staying power is quite as fantastic as the other two--maybe because the shimmer is kind of a filler--but I would still wear this blushbecause the color is so beautiful; I would just layer a cream blush under it to improve its staying power.

Spellbound (neutral muted pink)

This looks super natural and pretty, and the staying power is great! I wore this for over ten hours, and before I took off my makeup, this blush still looked great--it wasn’t patchy or faded at all.

Head Over Heels (light Barbie pink with fine silver shimmer)

This is probably the lightest out of all the colors I got, and in the pan it looks like it has some fine silver shimmer, but on the cheeks it just comes off with a slight satin finish. This is a perfect classic pink that gives you a really healthy glowand just looks so pretty and feminine. I’m really impressed by the staying power of this one too; it doesn’t break down when my skin gets oily by midday, and it stays looking pretty fresh.

Overall, these blushes are really awesome, and the formula and texture is really reminiscent of Sleek and MAC blushes. I would definitely recommend these if you're looking for a great quality blush that's not too expensive. Judging from the swatches on the Makeup Geek website, it looks like they have a great variety of colors, too! I hope you found this review helpful and have a great day!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Hi everyone! This weekend I will be going to EDC in Vegas, so I thought I'd share with you what I'm bringing in my makeup bag :)

EDC makeup

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation

EDC is taking place at night, so I don’t need to worry about sun protection, I just want to wear something that’s going to feel super light on my skin. My favorite powder foundation is the It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation, I’ve talked about this at length in two videos already, so if you want more detailsabout this product,watch those videos here and here.

Too Faced A La Mode palette

The two colors I’m mainly going for in this palette are the copper (Cannes) and hot pink (Monaco). Any reason to use hot pink eyeshadow, right?

bareMinerals Ready quad in The Dream Sequence

This quad has a shade that is almost an exact dupe of MAC Stars and Rockets (medium iridescent purple).

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara

I love this mascara for a super dramatic look; if you have thick lashes, this is great for length and curl!

Bite Luminous Cream Lipstick Duo in Vivid

This lipstick duo contains the shades Violet and Palomino, both in the permanent line. Violet is a gorgeous purple-y/radiant orchid color, and Palomino is an awesome hot pink.

Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Pink Love

This color a really pretty light Barbie pink! It's super unflattering on me, but it’s such a fun color.

"Normal" makeup

It Cosmetics CC Cream

Vegas is super dry, so I’m going to bring a really hydrating base product, my favorite one is the It Cosmetics CC Cream, which I talked about in my last video. It has really fantastic sun protection and coverage as well!

NYX Cream Blush in Rose Petal, MAC blush in Fleur Power

A few videos ago I talked about how I don’t use cream blushes very often, but recently I’ve been getting into layering cream and powder blushes; the staying power of that combination is fantastic. That combination has incredible staying power. These two blushes are peachy-pink colors that are my current go-tos.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Feel the Moment Primer Serum
This primer is packed with a lot of hydrating ingredients, but it doesn't make my skin greasy. It's kind of a different texture--very thick and goopy--but I love how smooth my foundation applies over it. I don't think this outperforms other primers, but I do love that this has a lot of added skincare ingredients.Your Skin But Better CC Cream
This is supposed to be a 7-in-1 product, replacing your serum, moisturizer, sunscreen, and full-coverage foundation. If you've been disappointed with the coverage of BB creams and CC creams, I think you'll really like this--it's a natural-looking full-coverage. However, if you like this coverage and finish of products like Estee Lauder Double Wear or Revlon Colorstay, this isn't as full coverage as those foundations, but I would definitely recommend this product if you're looking for a nourishing everyday foundation/base product that's medium- to full-coverage.It-O2 Ultra Repair Liquid Oxygen Foundation
This foundation claims to be a "spa in a bottle." I was very surprised that this is a really light-coverage foundation. I can use this on my good skin days, but if you have serious blemishes to cover, I would go with the CC cream instead.Bye Bye Undereye Concealer
This concealer is supposed to be super full-coverage; I don't think the coverage is as miraculous as the QVC presentations show, but if you're looking for an undereye concealer that doesn't crease, you might be interested in this concealer.Celebration Foundation
I really love this powder foundation! I mentioned in my May favorites (see them here) that this is a full-coverage powder foundation, and I love this velvety, perfected finish that this gives my skin. It also wears super well; I can go for over 12 hours without having to touch up or blot my face.Bye Bye Pores Poreless Finishing HD Micro-Powder
This powder is supposed to be "airbrushing in a jar"; it supposedly erases the look of pores and fine lines. I do like this powder, especially over the CC cream, and I think it does do what it says it will do. It also gives me a super matte finish that actually lasts!Vitality Face Disc
I love handy all-in-one palettes; this contains a bronzer, blush, and highlighter, and I love all of them! The bronzer is a cool-tone color that is great for contouring. The blush is a peach-pink with golden shimmer--not a super unique color, but it's so pretty and it has great staying power. The highlighter is a golden-champagne color, and it's quite shimmery. I like it for highlighting my cheeks, but I think you have to be a little bit careful with it, because it can come off a little metallic. But, overall, I really do like this palette!

So I hope this post was helpful! Thanks so much for reading, and have a great day!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to do a mass review on my blush collection to see which one is the best! I'm going to do it King of the Hill-style, so at the end we'll see who's the winner!

Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush in Heather Silk
The staying power of these blushes is nice, and it's very pigmented; however, the texture is super soft, so it might be easy to get too much product on your brush. I like to use a duo fiber brush (I use the Sigma F15) to get a lighter application.

ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzer in St. Lucia
The blush in this duo is nice and pigmented, but they're very powdery, and the appearance of powder can definitely show up on your skin.

Inglot blushes
These blushes are pigmented, but definitely more buildable than Wet n Wild. They're powdery, but nowhere are powdery as the ELF blushes. The staying power is just okay--I get about six to eight hours before I see noticeable fading. I don't love the color range of this line of blushes, though; they have a ton of colors, but they're almost all muted and neutral :/

MAC Powder Blush in Fleur Power
I like the texture of this a lot more than Wet n Wild; it's not as buttery/soft, so it's more buildable and easier to work with. Of course, like any MAC product, the color range is really great, and whether you like bright or neutral colors, and whether you have lighter or darker skin, you can definitely find something that suits you!

NARS Blush in Day Dream (limited edition)
The texture of this is a little harder than MAC, so you do have to work a little harder to build up the color. NARS's color range is absolutely crazy, and if you're looking for one particular special color, you can probably find it with NARS. Plus, they really do apply very true to pan.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in True Love
INCREDIBLE staying power! It really does live up to its "12-Hour" name. In addition to staying on the cheeks, it stays looking relatively fresh, which is awesome. I like the color range of the Tarte blushes a little more than MAC, because instead of slight variations between each color, you get a bunch of distinctly different colors to try--peach/coral, pink, neutrals, and darker colors.

Milani Baked Blushes in Dolce Pink (shimmer) and Bella Rosa (matte)
I'm going to talk about two shades in this line, because depending on the finish, the quality is very different. The pigmentation of these blushes is very hit and miss--with the shimmery colors, you have to really scrub your brush into the pan to pick up any product. And when you do, it's mostly shimmer. On the other hand, with the matte blushes, you have to be very careful about applying too much product--I like to use my duo fiber brush to apply it, then use a fluffy brush to blend. And then, still, it's not the easiest to blend. Neither finish is the easiest to apply, so I'm not absolutely crazy about this formula.

Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush in Living Doll
These blushes are so pretty in the pan and in a concentrated swatch, but when it's sheered out with your brush, you see hardly any color, just a ton of shimmer. I don't even have particularly dark skin (I'm a warm NC30), but I really don't get any pigment out of these blushes.

Sleek Blush by 3 in Lace
The pigmentation is really awesome with these blushes--especially the matte ones--but they're a lot easier to control than Wet n Wild. The staying power is really comparable to Tarte, and I think Sleek has an even better color range. They have a ton of fun, bright colors, but I don't think you'll be disappointed if you're into neutral colors; these blushes are so easy to blend, that they really turn out to look very natural and subtle on the cheeks (for example, Crochet, the orange color in this trio, turns out to look very peach).

Overall, my winner in this group would be Sleek blushes! They just fit everything that I look for in a line of blushes--great staying power, easy to apply, and a fun color selection. Tarte was a close second, but I would recommend Sleek over Tarte blushes because of the price--a single blush from Tarte costs $26, whereas a three-pan palette from Sleek costs $14.

I hope you liked this post and video! Thank you so much for reading and watching :)

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation
This is a really full coverage powder foundation--it covers redness and blemishes so nicely! It has a great, natural-looking matte finish, and it also gives my skin a wonderful velvety-smooth look. This foundation also has great staying power; it maintains that perfect finish for 14 hours without touch-ups! I really feel like this gives me a really similar effect as foundations like Revlon Colorstay, but this just feels so much lighter!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Tipsy
This is such a gorgeous coral color, and I feel like it actually looks very natural and rosy on me, because my skintone is so warm. Sometimes pink blushes can look like redness on my skin, but this really intensely warm and bright color is very flattering and looks like a neutral color on me, not orange-y at all!Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick
This is a cream eyeshadow in a stick form, and they're super long-wearing! They set into a kind of dry-touch finish, so it doesn't remain sticky and dewy throughout the day. I have a few shades of these, but my favorites are Rosy Taupe (a taupe with a pink tone) and Firework (shimmery champagne). I especially love the Firework shade in this cream formula, because (unlike powder eyeshadows) it won't flake into my eyes when I apply it to the inner corners of my eyes.It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush Butter Gloss in Pretty in Pink
This might be the most comfortable lip gloss formula I've tried! It's not sticky at all, and it's super moisturizing--my lips stay feeling really soft even after this wears off.